Global oceans treaty crosses threshold to come into force, enabling high-seas protections

A global oceans treaty designed to protect marine life and reverse damage to ocean ecosystems has crossed a major threshold. Morocco's ratification of the High Seas Treaty—the 60th required for it to take effect—will put the pact into international law in January. The agreement creates a framework to place areas beyond national jurisdiction into marine protected areas and to set binding rules for conserving and sustainably using marine biodiversity across the high seas, which cover roughly two-thirds of the ocean.

With the treaty in force, countries will begin proposing areas for protection. Signatory nations will vote on those proposals, and the final decisions will rest with the states that have ratified the agreement. The treaty is designed to overcome the lack of a single authority in international waters, acknowledging that no one country controls the high seas while recognizing everyone’s right to ship and fish there.

Conservation targets are ambitious. In 2023, countries agreed that 30% of the world's national and international waters—the high seas—should be protected by 2030. Current protections are far short of the target, with about 1% of the high seas protected today. Decades of overfishing, pollution from shipping, and warming oceans have damaged marine life. The latest IUCN assessment shows nearly 10% of marine species are at risk of extinction. The treaty’s goal is to reverse those trends by expanding protected areas and establishing binding rules for how the ocean is used.

Negotiations stretched over more than two decades before the treaty’s entry into force. Environmentalists hailed the milestone as a monumental achievement for ocean protection. Elizabeth Wilson, senior director for environmental policy at The Pew Charitable Trusts, told the BBC that reaching 60 ratifications in record time was an achievement given that parliaments often require years to approve such measures. The United Kingdom has introduced a ratification bill in Parliament this month, signaling continued momentum toward broader participation.

Reactions from advocacy groups were swift. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the treaty as covering more than two-thirds of the ocean and setting binding rules to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity. Kirsten Schuijt, director general of WWF International, called it a monumental achievement for ocean conservation and said the High Seas Treaty will be a positive catalyst for collaboration across international waters and agreements. Greenpeace International executive director Mads Christensen called it a landmark moment and urged that the era of exploitation and destruction must end, noting that oceans cannot wait.

Once the treaty comes into force, countries will propose areas to be protected, and these proposals will be voted on by the signatories. Critics point out that nations will conduct their own environmental impact assessments and make final decisions, though other countries can register concerns with monitoring bodies. The framework aims to balance environmental protection with the realities of global shipping and fishing, a balancing act that will rely on robust monitoring, transparent reporting, and ongoing negotiations.

The ocean is central to planetary health. It is the largest ecosystem on Earth, supporting countless species and underpinning global economies. The ocean’s systems contribute an estimated $2.5 trillion to world economies and provide up to 80% of the oxygen we breathe. Protecting the high seas is viewed by many scientists and policymakers as essential to safeguarding climate regulation, biodiversity, and livelihoods for communities that depend on marine resources.

Looking ahead, advocates say the treaty must be supported by strong national funding, clear implementation timelines, and independent verification to ensure that protected areas are established and kept intact. While the legal framework marks a major step forward, ongoing diplomacy, technical guidance, and practical enforcement will determine how effectively the high seas are safeguarded in the decades to come.

In sum, the High Seas Treaty crossing into force represents a landmark effort to extend international responsibility for ocean stewardship beyond coastal borders. By binding nations to protect large swaths of the ocean and to coordinate conservation actions, supporters argue it offers a realistic pathway to restoring marine life, sustaining fisheries, and preserving the climate-regulating power of the world’s oceans for future generations.